Beginners

What You Have to Know about Whisky

You're interested in single malt Scotch whisky? Then you've come to the right place. On our pages you'll find everything you need to know about whisky and a lot more. Find out about the best whiskies to begin with, how they taste and how they're produced.

Enter the world of whisky on our comprehensive portal. Our information pages offer lots of texts and videos on background information.

What's the Best Whisky to Begin with?

There's such a variety of single malt whisky, and the tastes are so different that it's impossible to name the ultimate beginner whisky. It's a matter of personal taste, which means that you can't go wrong.

The most important distinction in whisky for beginners is whether the whisky is smoky or not. If you're completely unexperienced a very smoky malt might put you off. Especially if you're a non-smoker. A high alcohol content is also not ideal for beginners. Start with the standard bottlings of well-known distilleries, since the majority of consumers like them. Don't buy expensive bottles at the beginning so you don't have to worry too much if you don't like the whisky.

Distilleries that are most suited for beginners include Aberlour, Balvenie, Cragganmore, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Highland Park, Macallan and Knockando.

A selection of beginner Whiskys

Please read the tasting notes for the whisky or watch Horst Lüning's tasting video so you know what taste experience you can expect.

The Tasting

How do you enjoy a quality single malt? What's the best glass? What's the right atmosphere? How do you dilute with water? Learn everything about whisky tasting here.

Whisky Knowledge

You'll find countless articles with photos and videos on our knowledge pages. We explain the production of whisky, how its taste develops and many important details.

Production

How is whisky produced? How does its unique flavour develop?

Learn the basics of whisky production on the following pages. If you want to dive deeper into the matter we have expert articles, too. You've never been inside a distillery? We also have many videos with distillery tours.